A TOUGH-TALKING councillor has vowed there will be no let-up on yobbish council tenants who make their neighbours’ lives a misery.

Phil Turner – known for his zero tolerance attitude on antisocial behaviour – made the comments after the council secured its first closure notice on a flat at the centre of drug dealing and other nuisance behaviour.

That notice came after the council issued a banning notice in May, barring six troublemakers from entering Brooke House in the Town Square where they had been making residents’ lives a misery.

Mr Turner, also the Tory council’s deputy leader, said: “Misbehaving residents and those intent on making others lives a misery need to take note.

“This notice is just one of the many tools we have available to us as we step up our promise to tackle antisocial behaviour.

“The majority of the community who are good neighbours have nothing to worry about, but I am determined to ensure the minority of residents intent on spoiling life for others are dealt with and we are very much focused on taking action.”

Last week Basildon Council successfully applied through the courts to oust Paul James and Sara Penlington from their council flat in Clay Hill Road, Basildon.

Witnesses giving evidence at the hearing claimed the pair dealt drugs in the communal area at the flat, with Penlington even bragging about the quality of the drugs she sold.

After the council successfully secured the order, heroin addict James, 36, exploded into a fit of rage and assaulted a female police officer in the court. He was later jailed for four months after being convicted of the assault.